Painkillers to avoid

a group of specific anti-migraine medicines known as triptans, such as sumatriptan

But some painkillers are more likely to cause medication-overuse headaches than others.

"Painkillers containing codeine are most likely to lead to overuse headaches," says Dr Ahmed.

His advice to prevent painkiller headaches is:

Don't take painkillers for headaches on more than 2 days in each week.

Don't take painkillers for headaches for 2 or more consecutive days.

Avoid codeine or codeine-containing painkillers such as Syndol and Solpadeine.

Treating painkiller headaches

The treatment for medication-overuse headaches is simple: stop taking painkillers.

According to Dr Ahmed, if you've been dependent on painkillers for months rather than years, the best approach is to stop abruptly.

"Your headaches will probably get worse immediately after stopping, and you may feel sick or sleep badly, but after 7 to 10 days, when the painkillers are out of your system, you'll feel better," he says.

If you have been getting painkiller headaches for several years as a result of taking codeine-containing products, it can be dangerous to stop abruptly.

Instead, gradually reduce the number of painkillers you take. This is best done under the supervision of a doctor.

Preventing painkiller headaches

Once your painkiller headaches have stopped and your tension headaches or migraines are back to normal, you can start to use painkillers again as you need them.

"Around 70-80% of people with medication-overuse headaches manage to stop regularly taking painkillers and feel much better as a result.

"The other 20-30% relapse over time and may have to go through withdrawal periods repeatedly," says Dr Ahmed.